CIPS L3M5 - Socially Responsible Procurement

Explanation

The correct answer is 'socially', because this includes elements of culture and economics / finance.

Essentially as broad an interpretation of 'diversity' should be used to deliver maximum benefit to the organisation.

Explanation

The word which fits best is 'species'.

Explanation

Almost unbelievably, it is 20,000 (twenty thousand) litres.

Water is a scarce resource in many parts of the world, so sustainable thinking might ask: 'Is this the best use of resources?'. Are people in the developed world entitled to 'fast fashion' t-shirts?

Explanation

Rail / road access, customer / supplier proximity, local wage rates would all be factors in the deci-sion regarding location of a new storage facility / distribution centre. Interest rates would be set at a national level, at least, so would be unlikely to feature as an important decision-making criterion.

(L3M6)

Explanation

Backloading (ie return loads) and dynamic routing (computer-controlled variable route scheduling) can help increase truck utilisation figures.

The technology already exists to radically improve performance in this area. 'Uber'-type technology - something with which many people will be familiar - can aid both these concepts.

(L3M6)

Explanation

Global Reporting Initiative.

The GRI standards have been widely adopted for reporting on sustainability issues by many com-panies worldwide.

Explanation

Height - a reference to the necessity to fully use the cube of a space.

(L3M6)

Explanation

The answer is 34%, so around one-third of all energy use on the planet is used for transportation.

(Source: IEA, 2017 quoted by Profex Publishing Ltd)

So, say, a European firm sourcing products from, say, China, uses a large amount of energy just to get goods from manufacturer to market. Or a US retailer buying from a supplier across the country, using road transport, is soaking up a large amount of energy.

I read something yesterday (Feb 2022) which I thought was interesting. Imagine someone drives a modern large 4 x 4 'car'. It might weigh, say, 1,500 kilos. The driver might weigh 100 kilos, say. Most such vehicles on the road have no passengers - they are transporting the driver from A to B. Thus to take something weighing 100 kilos from A to B, sufficient energy to transport (1,500 + 100 kilos) must be used.

Compare this to the same person going from A to B on a bicycle, even an electric bicycle.

Explanation

Sea transport, although slow, because of the volumes and tonnage which can be included in a single shipment, comes out best in terms of pollution. Although, that is not to say sea transport is not pol-luting - quite the opposite. The second least polluting is rail - also primarily because of the load size.